Suction cleaner apparatus



April 10, 1945. c, TAYLOR A 2,373,274

SUCTION CLEANER APPARATUS Filed Dec. 5', 1942 INVENTOR 0146455 h 774); o

TTORNEY Patented Apr. 1 0, 1945 SUCTION CLEANERAPPARATUS Charles H. Taylor, Springfield, Mass, assignor to Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Company, East Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application December 5, 1942, Serial No; 467,922-

6 Claims. (Cl. 30613) This invention relate to suction cleaners. and more particularly to suction cleaners of the ham. dle-propelled type, the primary object being to provide new and improved means for controlling the position of the propelling handle relative to the body of the cleaner.

A further object is to provide an easily operated handle control device and one which is of a simple, durable and inexpensive construction.

These and other-objects are effected by the invention as will be apparent from the following description and claims taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, forming a part of this applicationin which:

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic view in side elevation of a suction cleaner embodying my invention, with the handle in storage position, a part of the outer casing being broken away and certain parts being omitted;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of the righthand portion of Fig. 1 with the handle in the normal operating position;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view, partly in elevation and partly in section, looking in the direction of line III-III in Fig. 1; Y

Fig.4 is a perspective view of a latch membe forming part of the invention; and,

.Fig. 5 represents a developed section on line V-V of Fig. 4. I

.Referring to the drawing indetail, Ill desigmates a suction cleaner which is provided with a nozzle H, front and rear supporting wheels l2 and i3. and a motor housing M which encloses a motor for actuating a suction fan. The motor and fan being both conventional are not shown. A suitable dust bag may be enclosed within the cleaner Ill. conventional handle Hi which ispivoted at IT for the usual arcuate movement. The handle I6 is provided with an arm 58 which preferably terminates in the singularly-disposed pin 29. The arm I 8 may be in the nature of an extension of the handle H5 or it may be made of a separate piece suitably secured to the handle It.

In order to control the position of the handle '6 relative to the cleaner ill. I provide a latch plate 22 which is shown detached in Fig. 4. The latch plate 22 is rotatably mounted on the shaft or rod 23, which passes through lugs 24 carried by the cleaner Ill and also through lugs 26 of the latch plate 22, as best seen in 2. The latch plate 22 is constantly tensioned into engaging position (to the right. or clockwise in Fig. 3) by a spring 28. The latch plate 22 is provided with a treadle portion 30 and may be rotated in the cppo- The cleaner It] is provided with a site direction (to the left or counterclockwise in Fig, 3) by downward foot or hand pressure on the treadle 30.

On the side thereof facing the pin 20, the latch plate 22 is provided with end walls 32 and 34 and intermediate stops or projections 36 and 38, which define small end locking recesses 40 and 42 and an intermediate elongated recess 44. See Fig. 5. The

. latch plate 22 is normally substantially vertical while the arm I8 is arcuately movable parallel to the juxtaposed face of said latch plate. This serves to bring the pin 20 into registration with one or the other of the recesses 40, 42, or 44 according to the position of the handle. Thus, when the handle 16 is in vertical or storage position, the pin 2! will be in the recess 42. When the handle 15 is in its lowermost or horizontal position for under-bed cleaning and the like, the pin 20 will be in the recess 40. During the normal operation of the cleaner in which the handle is swung within a predetermined range, the pin 20 moves inthe elongated recess 44.

-It-wi1l be noted that the recesses 46 and 42 are of a size snugly to receive the pin 20 so that the pin 2!! is locked against movement between the end wall 32 and the stop 36, and thestop 38 and end wall 34, respectively. This prevents the body of the cleaner from swinging downwardly when the cleaneris lifted oil the floor by the handle; In order to move the handle I6 from the storage position into the normal use position, it is merely necessary to depress the treadle 30 to move the latch plate 22, out of the path of the pin 20 sufiiciently to enable the pin 20 to clear the stop 38. The handle I6 is then swung to the desired position and the pressure on the treadle 30 is relieved to allow the spring 28 to return the latch plate 22 to its normal engaging position. In order to move the handle from the normal operating range into the horizontal operating position, it is again necessary to depress the treadle 30 to allow the pin 20 to clear the stop 36. As will be clearly seen from Fig. 5, the handle 16 can be moved from the normal operating position into the storage position without actuating the latch plate 22, since the pin 20 can ride over the slanting surface of the struck-out portion 46.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that the arm I 8 and the pin 20 constitute a latch movable with the handle 16 parallel to or along the operative side of the latch plate 22 so as to be constantly in'a position to engage the stops 32, 34, 36, and 33 according to the position of the handle, and that the latch plate 22 is movable transversely of the path of the latch by the spring 28 or by the treadle 30. It is also to be noted that the cleaner l0 and the handle l6 are rigidly interlocked in the storage and horizontal positions of the handle,

respectively, by abutment of the pin 20 against the stops and 38 and 32 and 36, respectively, and not by the tension of the spring 28 so that the latter need only be strong enough to move the latch plate 22 into and maintain it in its engagement position. v

If desired, the end walls 32 and 34 of the plate 22 may be made sufficiently longer than the stops 36 and 38 so as to serve a permanent stops for limiting the extreme movement of the handle in either direction, even after the plate22 has been i moved away from the latchillenough' to permit the latch 20 to clear the st0ps3B and 38 for normal positioning of the handle.

While the invention has been shown in but one form, it will be obviou to thoseskilled in the art that it is not so limited, but is susceptible of various changes and modifications without departing from thespirit thereof, and it is desired, therefore, that only such limitations shall be placed thereupon as are specifically set forth in the appended claims.

What is claimed is: I

1. In a suction cleaner, a, propelling handle pivoted to said cleaner for arcuate movement about a horizontal axis, a latch movable with said handle, a latch member carried by said cleaner and pivoted for rotation about a horizontal axis at a right angle to the axis of rotation of said handle, means on said latch member for engaging said latch, in certain positions of said handle, to control the movement thereof, mean for moving said latch member into engagement with said latch, and means for moving said latch member in the opposite direction to disengage said latch.

2. In a suction cleaner, a propelling handle pivoted to the cleaner for arcuate movement about a horizontal axis, a latch movable with said handle and including an arm and a pin projecting merit of said latch, into and out of engagement with'said pin, means for moving saidplate into engaging position, and means for moving said plate out of said position.

3. In a suction cleaner, a propelling handle pivoted to said cleaner for arcuate movement about a horizontal axis, an elongated latch member carried by said cleaner and pivoted for rotation about a horizontal axis at a right angle to the axis of rotation of said handle, a latch movable with said handle lengthwise of said latch member, means on said latch member coacting with said latch, in certain positions of said handle, to control the movement thereof, means for retaining said latch member in engagement with said latch in any one of said positions, and means for moving said latch member in the opposite direction to disengage said latch and permit free movement of said handle.

, ably biasing said latch member toward, and into engagement with said latch, and means for moving said latch member in the opposite direction to disengage said latch.

5. In a suction cleaner, a handle pivoted to said cleaner for arcuate movement about a horizontal axis, a latch movable with said handle, a latch member carried by said cleaner and pivoted for rotation about a horizontal axis at a right angle to the axis of rotation of said handle, an end recess in said latch member fOr engaging said latch and locking said handle in a substantially vertical position, another end recess in said latch member for engaging said latch and locking said handle in a substantially horizontal position, an intermediate recess in said latch member in which said latch is movable when said handle is moved in its normal operating range, means for moving said latch member into and maintaining it in en gagement with said latch, and means for actuating said latch member in the opposite direction to disengage said latch member from said latch.

6. The structure recited in claim 5 in which said latch member'i provided with a cam surface, arranged between said intermediate recess and one of said recesses, so that said latch moves said latch member out of its path'upon movement of said latch from said intermediate to said end recess.

CHARLES H. TAYLOR. 

